Double packer for liners



T. H. GALLAGHER,

DOUBLE PACKER FOR LINERS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. I. 1919.

1,41 1,486. Patented Apr. 4, 1922.

THGaZZay/zer WW INVENTOR. I fl A TTORNE Y.

UNlTEfi STA'FEd THOMAS H. GALLAGHER, OF GRAFTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

DOUBLE PAGKER FOR, amines.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 4., 1922.

Application filed August 1, 1919. Serial No. 314,714.

To all to 7mm it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS H. GAL- LAGHER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Grafton, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in DoublePackers for Liners, of which the fol-- readily applied. A further objectisto provide a packer so constructed as to insure a tight closurebetween the liner and the well tubing, and which will serve toeffectually prevent entry of sand, gravel, and other foreign materialinto the liner, while also preventing escape of gas from the linerthrough loose earth and sand between the liner and the well casing.Further objects will appear from the detailed description.

In the drawings A, F'gure 1 is a fragmentary sectional view of awell-with a packing device constructed in accordance with my inventionapplied thereto. i

Figure 2 is a section taken substantially on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section through the-upper or plug. member of the packer,the tubing being shown in elevation.

In drilling oil and gas wells, it is the com-- mon practice to place thecasing 1 of the well in position, after which the well is bored to agreater depth, the lower portion A of the bore being of less diameterthan the upper portion in which the casing 1 is positioned. After thishas been done, the liner 2 is placed in the lower portion of the well,leaving a space 3 between the lower end of casing 1 and the upper end ofthis liner.

illustrated is of usual type and has its lower portion perforated as at2 in the known manner. It very frequently happens that the soil betweenthe lower end of easing 1 *and the upper end of liner 2 is of unstableformation such as sand, gravel, and. other materials which tend toeasily cave in and either partially or completely fill up and close theliner 2 thus seriously interfering The liner with the flow of oil or gasfrom the well. To clean out a well which has thus been filled is veryexpensive and, for this reason, it frequently happens that wells whichhave caved in in this manner are plugged.- It is the primary object ofthis invention to provide simple and eflicient means wherebythe upperend of the liner 2 may be effectually closed so as'to prevent the entryof foreign materials into the liner, thus insuring free flow ofgas oroil from the well while also preventing escape of gas, in the case of agas well, through the loose sand, gravel or other material which mayoccur in the space between the casing and the liner.

In putting my invention into practice, I secure a relatively broad andthick annular member or collar 4 of any suitable material such as castiron or steel, in the upper end of the liner by means of screw threadsor in any other suitable manner. The upper inner portion of this collaris beveled downwardly and inwardly as at 4;, and the inner surface ofthe collar is provided with a thick covering or layer 5 of comparativelysoft rubber secured thereto, the coating conforming in a shape to theinner surface of collar 4 so as toprovide at the u per end portion ofthecollar, a downwardly tapering seat 6. This seat is adapted to receive aninverted frustoconical plug 7 secured upon the well tubing 8 whichextends into the liner 2 in the known manner. The member 7 is composedof a body 8 formed of cast iron or other suitable material and providedadjacent its larger end or base with an outwardly projecting peripheralflange 9; and a thick covering 10 of relatively soft rubber which issecured about the lower portion of the body beneath the flange. Thisflange acts to reinforce the covering 10 so as to prevent distortionthere- 'of while also effectually preventing movement of this coveringupwardly of the body. The body 8 is centrally bored and, threaded and isadapted to be secured upon the screw threaded portion'8 of the tubing 8.

In practice, the plug member 7 is of such size that, when the tubing 8.is in lowered position, the lower portion of this plug member is seatedtightly upon the seat 6 of collar 4. The weight of tubing 8 which is supported by the plug member 7 serves to hold this member tightly seated,and the two relatively soft elastic coverings 5 and 10 of the collar andthe plug member, respectively,

7 could be prevented.

cooperate to provide a fluid tight closure for the upper end of theliner about the tubing. This serves to effectually prevent entry offoreign materials into the liner 2 while also preventing escape of gasor oil from the upper end of this liner, the gas or oil being removedfrom the well through tubing 8 by any suitable or well known means.

am aware that it has been proposed to emplo packers of various sorts forforming ti ht oints between the well casing and the tu ing but, so faras I am aware, a packer has never been employed in connection with aliner which is positioned at the bottom of the well for effecting atight closure between the liner and about the tubing to prevent fillingin of the lower part of the well due to cave-ins between the casin andthe liner. There are many wells which have been abandoned due to thesecave-ins, and these wells could be made good producers if the filling inof the lower ortion of the well y employing my packer in connection withthe liner, it is possible to clean out and reopen these old wells, andto effectually prevent filling in of the same after they have once beenopened, thus rendering available a great amount of oil and as which hasheretofore been inaccessible. I do not claim as my invention a packeronly, but so far as I am aware the use of a'packer in connection with aliner for an oil or as well for the purpose stated is new and .eretoforeunknown in this art, I

What I claim is:

1. In combination in an oil well, a casing, a liner, the upper end ofthe liner being spaced away from the lower end of the casing, tubingextending through the casing and into the liner, a packing membercarried by said liner, and a packing member carried by the tubing andcooperating with the packing member carried by the liner for effecting afluid tight closure of the upper end of the liner and about the tubing.

2. In combination in an oil well, a casing extending a predetermineddistance into the upper portion of the well, a liner in the lowerportion of the well and having its upper end spaced away from the lowerend of the casing, tubing extending through the casing and into theliner, a downwardly tapering seat member secured in the upper end ofsaid liner, and a plug member fitting snugly about and secured on thetubing, sai plug member fitting tightly into the seat member andsupporting the tubing so as to be held seated by the weight thereof.

3. In combination in an oil well, a casing extending into the upperportion of the well, a liner in the lower portion of the well and havingits upper end spaced away from the lower end of the casing, tubinextending through the casing and into e liner, :1 downwardly taperingsubstantially frustoconical seat member secured in the upper end of saidliner, and a frusto-conical plug member fitting snugly about the tubingand secured thereon, said plug member fitting snugly into said seatmember and being provided with a thick covering of elastic material foreffecting a fluid tight closure with the seat member and with aperipheral flange above said covering to prevent displacement ordistortion thereof.

4. In packing means for oil and gas wells, a packing member adapted tofit into a seat of a cooperating packing member and comprising asubstantially frusto-conical' body having a peripheral flange adjacentits base, and a covering of relatively soft elastic material securedtightly about the body below the flange and in contact therewith, so asto be reinforced and secured against upward movement, by the flange.

In testimony whereof I aflix my si nature.

THOMAS H. GALLAG ER.

